Sant Jnaneshwar of Alandi, Maharashtra (India)

Sant Jnaneshwar, also known as Jnanadeva, is well known as the author of the Jnaneshwari, a commentary on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. He was born in 1275 A.D. in Alandi, Maharashtra. Behind his birth lies the sad story of his parents. His father, Vithalpant, hailed from Apegaon in the same state. He was a saintly man given over to religious practices from a young age. Once, passing through Alandi while on pilgrimage, he came to the notice of one Shidopant, who offered his daughter, Rukminibai, in marriage to him. Vithalpant was disinclined to enter into worldly ties but on receiving a Divine command in a dream, he accepted the proposal. The couple lived in Apegaon till Vithalpant's parents died and then they moved to Alandi.

However, his spiritual tendencies continued, and one day he left home to take sannyas. He became the disciple of Swami Ramanand in Varanasi, without revealing that he was already married. After some time, Swami Ramanand went on a pilgrimage to the south and was passing through Alandi. Rukminibai, the disconsolate wife of Vithalpant, was a regular worshiper at the Mareih Temple where the Swami had put up. As a matter of respect, she bowed down to the Swami, who gave the usual blessing to a married woman, 'Be you the mother of a son.' Rukminibai could not hold back her tears at this point. On enquiry, she told the whole story of Vithalpant's sannyas. Ramanand was shocked to hear his name being mentioned as the guru. A furious Ramanand returned to Varanasi and after ascertaining that his disciple was the unfortunate lady's husband, severely reprimanded him for lying to his guru and sent him back home. Vithalpant resumed family life but there was a social storm. Never before had a sannyasi returned to the householder's life. They were ostracised by their Brahmin community and had to live as outcastes outside the village.

Four children were born to them: Nivrittinath (1273), Jnanadeva (1275), Sopan (1277) and Muktabai (1279) (Some accounts give the birth dates as four years earlier.) Vithalpant educated the children himself while bearing the taunts and insults of society. However, as the children grew up, it became necessary to perform their thread ceremony if they were to lead normal lives. The brahmins of Alandi flatly refused such a request. In a dejected state, he took his family to Nasik to perform some purificatory rites. During their pilgrimage, they were set upon by a tiger. The family scattered and Nivritti lost his way. While the others got together and returned home, Nivritti had entered a cave. There he came upon Sant Gahinath of the Nath sect of Yogins. The sage saw in Nirvrittinath, a great potential yogi. He initiated him into the Nath oracles and taught him for a week. That it took him only a week to master yoga shows that he was an exceptional pupil. (In fact, popular tradition says he is an incarnation of Lord Shiva.) With this knowledge, Nivrittinath returned home. He initiated Jnaneshwar who in turn initiated Sopan and Muktabai. In all his works, Jnaneshwar pays obeisance to his elder brother Nivrittinath as his guru.

Meanwhile, Vithalpant, finding his efforts at obtaining a letter of purification (shuddhipatra) in Alandi futile, decided to go to Paithan. However, on the advice of his guru, Swami Ramanand, (some accounts say on the advice of his maternal uncle), Vithalpant and his wife Rukminibai, drowned themselves in the sacred Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad). The children, thus left alone, went on to Paithan.

There the brahmins again obstinately refused to give the purificatory letters. They argued about the scriptures with Jnaneshwar, who put forward the advaita philosophy that all is the one Brahman. If so, the Brahmins argued, buffaloes should be able to recite the Vedas. Jnanadeva accepted the challenge.

A buffalo was brought and by putting his hand on the buffalo's head, Jnanadeva made it recite the Vedas. The awe struck Brahmins gave the required letter and sent them on their way. They shifted to Newasa on the Prarasa river in present day Ahmeduagar district. All the four children became great saints with Muktabai's devotional songs becoming the jewel of Marathi Saint literature. Here, Jnanadeva cured one Satchidananda Baba of an incurable disease. He became an ardent disciple who later copied out the Jnaneshwari. It was here in Newasa that Jnanadeva composed the Jnaneshwari or the Bhavarthidipika in the temple of Mhalsadevi (Mahalayadevi). The work was completed in 1290. After this they returned to Alandi.

There lived at that time a yogi called Changdeva. He was reported to be more than 400 years old, such was his mastery over the hatha yogic techniques of controlling ageing. He also possessed many other siddhis (powers). He was peeved at a boy like Jnanadeva (who was barely 16) getting so much respect.

He wanted to challenge him, but could not find a suitable form of address. He could not bring himself to respect a mere boy, but in view of his reputation could not insult him either. So he sent him a blank letter. In reply, Jnanadeva sent him a poem of sixty five verses containing the essence of his teachings; it is known as the Changdeva-pasashti. But the latter could not understand it. Riding on a tiger, he started for Alandi with his retinue of 3000 disciples. As he approached Alandi, Jnanadeva, who was sitting on a wall, rode forward to meet him on a moving wall. The meaning of this incident is that Jnanadeva demonstrated to Changdeva his mastery over inanimate nature. If Changdeva had the power to control a tiger, Jnanadeva could make the very earth move! Changdeva surrendered to Jnanadeva but the ego is not easy to destroy. Jnanadeva asked him to ask one of his disciples to sacrifice himself so that he (Jnanadeva) could attain to Brahmajnana (Self knowledge). Changdeva was confident all his disciples were utterly dedicated to him and would do anything for him; but the next day none of them were present. Changdeva prostrated before Jnanadeva and offered himself. Jnanadeva told him that by his surrender he had given up his ego and no more sacrifice was needed. Ultimately, Changdeva became one of his leading disciples.

The other important stage in Jnanadeva's life was his meeting the great saint Namadev, who was a worshipper of the personal aspect of God in the form of Lord Panduranga Vithala of Pandhapur. In fact, it is said that Namadev attended the first discourse of Jnaneshwari by Jnanadeva in Newasa. In Jnanadeva, Namadeva found the ideal combination of jnana and bhakti. He introduced him to the other great devotees of Lord Vithala and to the Varkari sect (worshippers of Vithala) whose leader he soon became. Jnanadeva wrote many abhangas (devotional songs) to Lord Vithala and went on a pilgrimage with Namadev to northern India.

On their return to Alandi on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of Karthika in 1296, Jnanadeva entered into his last meditation samadhi and was buried alive in a cave. A temple was constructed there and thousands of devotees visit it today. He was only 21 years old at the time of samadhi. His brother and sister followed him into samadhi within a year and a half.

Two great works of Maharashtra's spiritual literature stand to his name: Bhavarthdipika (Jnaneshwari) and Amritanubhava. He wrote all his works in Marathi so that the people could comprehend their message. He was tender in age but had infinite compassion for suffering humanity. He denied the importance of caste, creed or gender before God. He perceived that the paths of Yoga and Jnana were too difficult for the people of the present age and presented the comparatively easy path of devotion-cum-knowledge. "Living in the world, perform your duties with constant remembrance of God. The only way is constant remembrance of God." He saw no contradiction between the advaitic philosophy and bhakti. "In advaita, there is still bhakti. This is a matter of experience, not of words."

The Jnaneshwari is a big, poetical-cum-philosophical work which gives a lucid and profound commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. It follows the advaita philosophy of Sri Adi Shankaracharya and emphasizes bhakti in practice. It shows Sant Jnaneshwar as a great yogi, jnani, bhakta and poet. Certain passages of the Bhagavad Gita are explained in terms of Patanjali's Yoga sutras, which is a distinctive characteristic of this work. Jnanadeva was a great Gurubhakta and attributed all credit to his guru. He would say, "This is all really due to the glory of Sri Nivrittinath." At the end of the discourse (Jnana-yagna) the only boon he would ask for was that, "…may each and every being get the fulfillment of his (her) each and every wish…let all the three worlds be happy and perfect."

Again, it was on his elder brother and Guru Sri Nivrittinath's advice that he wrote the philosophic work Amritanubhava. It is based on the Upanishads and proclaims the unity of the soul and the Supreme Consciousness (jiva and Shiva). Scholars have said that this work is deeply influenced by Shaivism. This is quite natural given the Nath sect is Shaivite. Besides these two works, he wrote the Changdeva-pasashti and abhangas to Lord Vithala.

Sant Jnaneshwar was a great Master who guided many to realization in his lifetime and whose works continue to guide many more. Of him it can truly be said:

Shanta Mahanto Nivasanti Santo/

Vasantavallokahitam Charantah/

Tirnah Swayam Bhimbhavarnavam/

Jananhetum anyanapi Taryantah/

"There are the great, calm ones who do good to others like the spring. Having crossed the dreadful ocean of birth and death, they selflessly help others to cross the same."

By Unmesh Vakila

Matruvani, November/December, 2000

Notes: At the age of twenty-one, Jnaneshwar spontaneously dictated the Bhavartha Dipika, the first ever vernacular commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. This scintillating feat, uniting the Yogas of Devotion and Knowledge, earned the young Sant enduring fame.

He is widely revered as an incarnation of Krishna. At the age of twenty-two, he was entombed in a state of deep meditation known as jivan samadhi. Centuries later, Sant Eknath entered the tomb and saw a radiant youth seated in meditation.

Jnaneshwar is still believed to be alive, anchoring his light body as a crystal of enlightened energy radiating from Alandi to the entire world.

Alandi: The Marathi word Alandi is a corruption of the Sanskrit Alankapuri.

On the physical plane, Alandi is a village located fifteen kilometers from Pune, on the banks of the Indrayani River. Since ancient times, the village has been a shrine of Shiva as Siddheshwar, Lord of Spiritual Attainment. Today, the Alandi Jnanshewar temple is a major pilgrimage center, drawing hundreds of thousands of devotees on festival days.

On the spiritual plane, Alankapuri is the location of the Blue Pearl, ten fingerbreaths above the crown of the head, embodying the supreme level of consciousness, attainable by human beings—absolute, pristine awareness imbued with love and devotion.

AMMA TALKS TO LINDA JOHNSEN FOR YOGA JOURNAL

Question: Westerners are usually attracted to the path of pure logic. Many of us wonder at times whether the doctrine in Sanatana Dharma of reincarnation is true.

Amma: Our past does not consist of the events of this life alone; it includes all our previous lives. Just as the waves of the ocean appear in various forms and aspects, so also the jiva (individual soul) takes up new bodies in accordance with the vasanas (latent tendencies) it has acquired. When we start thinking about reincarnation and previous lives, we arrive at the doctrine of karma.

We find many who are unmistakable wrongdoers living happily, while decent people who have done many virtuous deeds are suffering without any apparent reason. When we think about this against the backdrop of this life, it seems to contradict the law of karma. If we are to understand the correlation of cause and effect behind this occurrence, we have to approach the law of karma with deeper insight.

The individual soul is born many times in accordance with the actions (karma) it has performed, both knowingly and unknowingly, in its previous lives. Each individual experiences pain and pleasure as a result of the actions done in previous lives. As the wheel of life spins on, one's previous karma ripens into the fruits of experience. It isn't possible to say what type of karmic fruit one will experience, at what time this will happen or in what way it will come to us. This is a mystery known only to the Creator. Whether you believe in it or not, the laws of karma will to work in their own way. Only actions done with the notion "I am the doer" will bear the fruit of those actions. And only actions of the ego can be known as karma in the real sense.

It is not easy to trace the beginning of karma, but it does have an end. When, having effaced the ego, the individual soul realises its original nature, all its karma evaporates. But it isn't easy to eradicate the sense of doership in oneself. It is possible only when detachment to pleasure and pain arises after one has gone through many lives. God is fashioning us toward that end by putting us through pleasure and pain. It is a painstaking, long-drawn-out transformation. A lot of chipping, sculpting and reshaping are required. Still, one cannot comprehend in full the divine power that works silently behind these mysteries. One can only have faith. When the mind becomes pure and subtle through spiritual practice, we will be able to remember our previous lives.

It is useless to grieve about past deeds. That is a bygone chapter; whatever has happened has happened. We cannot do anything about it. Only the present moment is relevant, because our entire future depends on the actions that we do now.

Let the presence of the Supreme Spirit reveal its radiance in each moment of our lives. Then nothing will be able to bind us. Let us live this moment in God, in our true nature. This will free us of the influence the cycle of karma wields over us, and we will be freed from the fear of death.

Nothing in this universe, let alone Creation, is accidental -- for if that were so, there would only be chaos. The order and the incredible beauty found throughout creation are evidence that an expansive heart and an intelligence incomprehensible to the human mind is behind all this.

When we realise God, we transcend all laws of karma. The Mahatmas (Great Souls) have left their bodies with smiling faces, even when they were ill and suffering intensely. They accepted life with a full smile. Be it pleasure or pain, they accepted all situations in life alike. This is why they were able to accept even death with a smile. Those who accept whatever comes to them with gratitude receive even death with that same attitude -- they know that death is not the end of anything. Death is not the enemy of our true Self; it is just the beginning of another existence.

Question: Many of the students who practice yoga and other spiritual disciplines are householders. Their families and friends are important to them. Will this be an obstacle on their spiritual path?

Amma: A householder can definitely attain Self-realisation. But for this to happen, they have to perform their actions selflessly, without attachment and with an attitude of surrender at God's feet. A true householder has the attitude, "Everything that is mine belongs to God; nothing belongs to me." They have the strong conviction that God alone is their mother, father, relative and friend. But this attitude of surrender and self-sacrifice is difficult to cultivate. Continuous effort is needed.

Amma never asks householders to run away from the world for the sake of the spiritual quest, for to do so is cowardice. We should try to perform our duties in the world as diligently as possible. Those who run away from their worldly responsibilities aren't really fit for spiritual life. That is why, in the Mahabharata, Sri Krishna did not allow Arjuna to run away from the battlefield and become a sannyasi.

Life is a battlefield. We cannot run away from it. We may go to the Himalayas or to a forest or an ashram, but the problems in life will continue to chase us even there. An intelligent person goes through life using their discrimination, performing their duties with great attention. To truly live is to build one's life on a strong spiritual foundation.

We should not forget that compassion towards the poor and the suffering is our duty to God. Our quest for the Self starts with our selfless service in the world. If all we do is sit in meditation with our eyes closed, anticipating the third eye to open, we will be disappointed. We cannot escape from the world by keeping our eyes closed. Spiritual practice is the effort we make to see the oneness of all beings in creation, with open eyes. When that vision becomes spontaneous, that is Self-realisation.

Death can come to us at any moment. It will snatch everything away from us, even our own body. That is why Amma stresses that through our spiritual practice we should develop the attitude of detachment towards everything in the world. Only with this attitude will we be able to face death fearlessly. By absorbing the highest spiritual ideals, we are preparing ourselves for this transformation to take place: the transformation of attachment into detachment.

The state of sannyas or relinquishing the world has not gained that much prominence in the West. The life of a sannyasi is a life of surrender, both externally and internally, for the good of the world. A true householder leads the life of a householder externally, and the life of a sannyasi internally. To renounce everything may not be easy for everyone. But we should try to cultivate the inner attitude of renunciation. A householder may be facing many problems in life, but he can still be absolutely calm within. This is not impossible. If we read the Puranas, we will find that most of the ancient Rishis (Self-realised Seers) were householders. They were ordinary people. If they could still attain the Truth, surely you will also be able to do so. You have that inner strength.

A householder should be like a bird sitting on the dry twig of a tree. While perching on the twig, the bird may be eating something or it may fall asleep, but it is always alert and wide awake within -- always ready to fly. It knows that if there is a strong breeze, the branch could suddenly give way. Similarly, a householder should be aware that all relationships in the world are just temporary and can end at any moment.

We should look upon our duties in the world as being assigned to us by God. If we have that strong faith, we will be able to perform all our duties as God's servants, without any sense of doership. We have to perform the duties that have been assigned to us. We should think of those actions as being part of our spiritual practice. We should perform each action as a form of worship. We shouldn't be attached to what we do. We should never let our focus stray from our awareness of the Self. This is the centre of our existence. We are now living as if we were locked up in a jail, the jail of our likes and dislikes. But that is not our real abode. We shouldn't see the objects of our desires and attachments as ornaments adorning us -- they are chains that bind us. Until we realise the Self, we will never know what true freedom is.

Question: What is real freedom?

Amma: The life of a person who has realised the Self is like a crystal clear stream flowing from a lake in the mountain terrain. We may see water continuously gushing forth from the lake into the valley as waterfalls. But the bottom of the lake is still and peaceful. This lake never dries. It will always be full. Anybody can drink water from it and quench their thirst. In the same way, it is the nature of those who are established in the Self to constantly give of themselves. They never ask for anything in return. A real sannyasi aspires to be like an incense stick, spreading fragrance all around while burning himself or herself out. That is motto of the sannyasi's life.

When the ego is eliminated we become that Supreme Consciousness. In the life of a Mahatma, there is something new in every moment. A Mahatma is the Supreme Consciousness residing in everything, illuminating everything. When we transcend the ego, we become everything. Then our minds can never be enslaved by anger or lust. We become the whole of creation. We experience the state of a jnani (one who has attained supreme knowledge and wisdom). That is real transformation. Such beings who experience the Truth have always existed. They exist even today. Let us make every effort to reach that state. Let us surrender to the beauty of the infinite Self. Let us becomes perfect examples for the whole world.

Question: Many Western yoga students are disappointed, having observed the lives of so-called Indian gurus, who teach one thing but live another. At the same time, all the Indian scriptures stress the importance of the Guru. How is it possible to have faith in such Gurus?

Amma: The Satgurus (Self-realised Gurus) do not try to force their rules or ideals on anyone, nor do they claim that they have attained Self-realisation. Real Satgurus never claim anything. They do not need anyone's recognition. It makes no difference to them if we recognise them or not. Those who make claims, on the other hand, tend to be false most of the time.

A Satguru will always set an ideal example for the disciples to follow. The disciples are being mislead if the Guru says: "I'm above everything, so I can do whatever I like. Nothing will affect me. You just obey me and do whatever I tell you to do!" A Satguru doesn't speak or act in that way. Even though the Guru is beyond body-consciousness, the disciples are not. They are still fastened to their body-consciousness and ego. So they need a true, perfect example. A Satguru, who is the embodiment of divine qualities, is needed for the sake of their upliftment. This is why a true Master places the utmost importance on sound moral principles and a life based on ethical codes of conduct.

Competence, incompetence, virtue and vice can be observed in all areas of life. There are highly skilled doctors as well as incompetent ones. If one doctor isn't very capable, it doesn't mean that all doctors are incompetent. If you have had a bad experience with one doctor, it wouldn't be wise for you to declare that you will never see a doctor again if you get sick.

True Masters exist even today. It isn't possible to recognise them by their external appearance. However, their greatness can be seen radiantly manifesting in their lives. You can recognise them by such qualities as self-sacrifice, compassion, humility, detachment and broad-mindedness. It is not by the beauty of his or her speech or by all the miracles he or she performs that a Mahatma (Great Soul) can be measured.

The faith of many sincere spiritual seekers has been lost because they have been cheated by others. Only a Satguru, who is permanently established in the Self, can heal the wounds of those seekers. For this healing to take place, it doesn't matter if you trust or distrust the Master; it is enough to just be in the Master's presence, and all the wounds of the psyche will heal by themselves. Such Mahatmas have existed throughout the ages, and they will continue to appear in the future. Their true nature is like the expansive, limitless sky. They have no obligations whatsoever to anyone. We can make use of a Satguru's presence to attain our highest goal, the attainment of the Self. If we do not take such an opportunity when it comes to us, the Satguru will not stand to lose anything. We alone will be the losers.

Question: The spiritual leaders of India claim that India has the most exalted spiritual culture. Yet, some of us who have visited India have seen how badly women and those of the lower castes are treated by many people. As spiritual seekers, shouldn't we join the front in fighting against poverty, abuse of women, sectarianism and the like?

Amma: What you say about the status of women in India today doesn't relate to the standards of ancient Indian culture. All these problems have arisen out of the erosion of moral and spiritual values. In ancient India, women were given a very high status. Women didn't have to go out and look for work. They stayed at home and took care of the family. Today this is being deliberately misinterpreted as mistreatment of women, but that was not its intention. Indian women never thought of it as hindering their freedom. It is true that in modern society women are compelled to seek work outside the home. But the fundamental motherhood within them shouldn't be disregarded. Qualities such as love, patience, kindness and tolerance shouldn't be overlooked or neglected.

Changing the external circumstances alone will not effect any significant achievements. The real change has to occur within ourselves; and for this to happen, women have to bring out the masculinity that lies dormant within them. This masculinity consists of such noble qualities as courage, freedom from attachment, persistence in one's undertakings and establishment in one's true Self. (Here, Amma is referring to a archetypal "masculine" qualities which are rare in both men and women, but exist within both.) Fostering these qualities will open up an entirely new world for women and lead to Self-realisation.

Question: Is it not inconsiderate to seek one's own personal spiritual progress, ignoring the hardships of other beings?

Amma: Those who have the proper perspective will never turn their backs on the victims of hardship. They will never say that it is those people's karma to go through what they are going through, or that it is all just maya (illusion). Instead they will do all that is possible within their means to help the downtrodden. The selfish ones always see everything from the viewpoint of their own possible gain. But a spiritual seeker is filled with love and compassion for the poor and the suffering, and that love is reflected in his or her words and actions. That is also the goal of our spiritual practice. We shouldn't waste any chance we get to help others; we should make the most of such opportunities.

It should be remembered that spiritual aspirants have human limitations. Because they are still struggling with their own personal situations and with their own minds, their scope of contribution may be very limited. But, nevertheless, their spiritual practice and selfless prayers will definitely benefit society. They will inspire and thus transform others.

Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami wrote these eight octets of prarthana in 1959 on the disappearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

1.THE FLOOD OF KRSNA PREMA

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this anniversary of your separation I am utterly despondent.

"The ocean of mercy was previously held back by a dam, but Lord Nityananda personally cut a channel in it and thereby released the outpouring flood of pure ecstatic love of God. “ (From Locana Das's song)

Those devotees to whom the responsibility was given to continue spreading this flood of love somehow became overpowered by Maya and were thus reduced to simply performing ritualistic Hindu ceremonies for the benefit of the materialists.

Lord Nityananda's inundation of prema was thus completely stopped by those known as jati-gosai (caste gosvamis) But then you personally came, O Master to open wide the floodgates once again.

Again you engulfed everyone in the deluge of pure divine love- even such a low, wretched, fallen and sinful soul as myself.

On the strength of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's command you sent all of your servants as spiritual masters, going from door to door, just to deliver the fallen souls.

The devotees were enthusiastically preaching everywhere- from the oceans to the Himalaya mountains. But now that you have gone from our midst everything today has become very dark.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

2.THE MERCIFUL FLOOD HAS BEEN STOPPED

Just as Advaita Prabhu had prayed fervently and thus induced Sri Gauranga to descend, so did your father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, pray for you to incarnate.

Due to Bhaktivinoda's eagerness, O Master, you came and proclaimed to everyone that India is the most holy land of the Lord's divine pastimes.

"One who has taken birth in this land of Bharata-bhumi should first make his own life successful and then work for the benefit of all other people" (C.C Adi 9.41)

This is the most significant message of Lord Caitanya that you boldly preached everywhere. But now in your absence, O Master, everything has fallen into darkness.

The overflowing ocean of your compassion has once again been dammed up. This makes me feel as if a spear of great misery has indeed pierced my heart.

Without Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message being spread there is only confusion and upheaval in the movement. Seeing this situation, all the Vaisnavas are also feeling overwhelmed with the pangs of your separation.

The spirit souls have once again been captured by Maya and plunged into absolute darkness. Desperately searching for relief, they are simply perishing in a fathomless ocean of anxiety.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

3.PRACTICAL CHANTING AND PREACHING

You instructed everyone you met to chant the holy name of Lord Krsna. You showed the example of continually reciting the maha-mantra into their ears.

You empowered everyone with the qualification to further distribute that holy name But now, by the influence of Maya, there is only darkness on all sides.

The souls who are truly attached to worshiping the Lord always sing and dance in joyful sankirtana. Following in the footsteps of their spiritual master, they deliver the whole world.

But those who have no such qualification perform nirjana bhajana or so-called confidential worship in a solitary place. Thus acting whimsically, all of them actually remain absorbed in personal sense gratification.

[As stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam 10,33,30]: "An ordinary soul should never imitate the activities of the Supreme Lord, even in his mind." According to these instructions in devotional service, the unqualified imitators are ruined.

You preached "utility is the principle"- that is, one should act without attachment and use anything that is deemed appropriate in the devotional service of the Lord.

In such detached devotional service to Lord Krsna there would be a temple established in every house But now just the opposite situation is apparent everywhere.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

4. THE ESSENTIAL PURPORT NEGLECTED

Everything regarding material prosperity as well as mystic perfection is fully present in your transcendental message: "Because the residents of Vraja have life, therefore they engage in preaching work." (Dusta Mana verse)

The "resolute intelligence" ("vyavasayatmika buddhi") explained by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti [in his commentary to Bhagavad Gita 2.41] is now spoiled since your disciples have become ensnared in the bewildering noose of Maya.

Those disciples who were irresolute in performing devotional service according to your instructions have now divided your mission in many factions. It appears that the tigress of ambition for material names and fame has appeared and personally provoked this upheaval.

The essential purport of your message obviously did not enter their ears. O where will I get the strength to perform this hari-nama-sankirtana?

To chant the holy name of the Lord is the explicit command of my worshipful spiritual master. I could never honestly neglect that order.

Your greatest acclaim is that you propagated the topmost religious culture. Anyone who accepts the holy name from you becomes spiritually qualified.

If all those who attained this qualification were to go out and make disciples then the miserable conditioned souls would all be delivered from this world of birth and death.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

5.THE DISCIPLE’S EMPOWERMENT IS LOST

The greatest mantra of all, consisting of thirty-two letters, is

hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare

hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

People who are possessed by gross foolishness refuse to chant it.

Is there a single temple to be found where your instructions are still being followed? As it is said: "punar musiko bhava"- Everyone has "again become a mouse."

The lion's food has been stolen away by the deceptive tricks of the jackal. Now caught in Maya's mighty clutches everyone is reduced to wailing and weeping.

O Master! If your are merciful to us one again, then even though we are trapped here on the shores of the ocean of death, we will finally behold a change for the better.

Then once again we can blissfully remember the holy name of Krsna, and once again we will have firm faith in your "Vaikuntha messages."

Once again you will make us dance in the pure holy name of Krsna. Thus you will personally dispel all this confusion caused by Maya.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

These words spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are especially nectarine.

If we have complete faith in these instructions given by you, our spiritual master, then in the performance of sankirtana actual love for Krsna will be aroused in us.

Without love of God, our tiny intelligence only becomes entangled in the network of Maya's delusions Because no one actually attained prema, now there has been great upheaval in your mission.

The whole world has become filled with impersonalists, and the Vaisnavas have given up the work of preaching that was entrusted unto them and have simply gone off to perform solitary worship.

The Vaisnava's were famous as "patita pavana" ( deliverers of the fallen) but now this title has fallen into disgrace. Countless numbers of your disciples have been forced to leave your movement.

At such an inauspicious time, O Master, what can be done to repair the damage that is done? The beautiful garden that you had so carefully planted is now parched and withered away.

O Master, please awaken some good intelligence in this insignificant disciple of yours so that my firm faith in your transcendental message may increase more and more.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

7.DISTRIBUTING THE PURE DEVOTIONAL PROCESS

The most magnanimous incarnation of the Lord is Sri Krsna Caitanya. Distributing the process of attaining love of God by chanting the holy names of Krsna, He thus blessed the entire universe.

O Master, you are the personification of the transcendental message of Lord Caitanya. You are the distributor of that message to every town and village.

You sent your devotees to preach in the faraway lands of the Western countries, and you personally traveled all over India, even to the South.

You preached the pure philosophy of Lord Gauranga in such a way that intelligent persons could understand. And you showed such great concern, O Master, in convincing all you adversaries!

Lord Gauranga used many tricks just to engage the conditioned souls in devotional service, and you have also understood how to use all those tricks perfectly well.

You understood time, place and circumstance, and utilized everything as a strategy for preaching. Although observing your activities with their very eyes. those who are blind like owls and other creatures of the night could not see your true purpose.

What will the Auls and the Sahajiyas and the other nonsense groups ever understand? And what will the sheep-like common people or dry logicians ever understand?

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

8.IF ONLY YOU WOULD COME AGAIN

Lord Caitanya's method of devotional service is not performed in solitude. You preached this again and again to your own devotees.

Just as the Lord delivered Jagai and Madhai out of His own causeless mercy, you explained to everyone that this same method of preaching work has to go on.

The world has now filled up with many Jagais and Madhais to deliver. Everyone is anxiously looking down the road waiting for Caitanya-Nitai to come to their rescue.

If, at such a time as this, you were to personally return to this world and once more preach about all these things the way you always used to do.

If there were enthusiastic preaching activities again taking place in every direction, then all the people as before would be stirred up in blissful excitement.

Your profound shouting would cause the demons and atheists to flee, and your narrations of Lord Caitanya's message would fill the hearts of the innocent souls.

Again the whole world would be excitedly bustling with good tidings; but as it is, in your absence now there is nothing of value anywhere.

O Srila Prabhupada! You personally suffer to see the suffering of the fallen conditioned souls. On this day of your separation I am utterly despondent.

O Master! My heart is broken in your absence. This disciple named Abhay has hereby revealed only a small token of his wretched agony of separation.

How can I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He is limitless. Who can know Him? The love the people of Vraja feel for Lord Krsna is eternal. It is the true reality. Always strive to attain that love.

Lord Krsna is the pleasure of the cows, land and senses, the moon of Gokula, and the root of transcendental bliss. He stays with many gopa and gopi friends. His home is Nandisvara, and His name is Giridhari. Please, in the company of the gopis, worship Him with love.

O brother, the truth of loving devotional service has already been explained to you. O brother, I will leave all material desires behind and, by my guru's mercy I will perfectly worship Lord Krsna with pure love, and I will become His gopi-maidservant.

Follow the path of sincere devotional service. Stay among the devotees. Remember Krsna and talk about Him. When loving devotion comes, your mind will become pure and all sufferings will flee from your heart.

Know that sense happiness is a calamity. Know that the material world is a dream. Know that this human life is the root from which devotional service may sprout. With love always worship Lord Krsna. With love always hear His pastimes. To do anything else is to plunge a spear in your own heart.

If one decorates his body with the dust from Srimati Radharani's lotus feet, then it will be very easy for him to attain Lord Giridhari. I congratulate such a great soul who takes shelter of Srimati Radharani's lotus feet and I say to him" Well done"!

A person who, in the company of the devotees, again and again hears the stories of the pure love in the rasa-dance pastimes will attain Lord Krsna, who is dark as a monsoon cloud. A person averse to hearing these pastimes will never attain perfection. I refuse to hear the name of such an offender.

O brother, by chanting Krsna's name I will attain Radha, and by chanting Radha's name I will attain Krsna. Now I have briefly told you how to chase all sufferings from your heart. What contradicts my words will bring only pain.

Always serve Sri Krsna Caitanyadeva, who is a kalpa-vrksa tree giving away the treasure of pure love. He is Lord Krsna Himself, the prince of Vraja and the life of Srimati Radharani. Talk about Him is full of wonder.

Accepting the loving emotions of Sri Radha and accepting Her bodily lustre as the ornament of His limbs, Lord Krsna descended to Navadvipa. Desiring to attain three things, He appear in Saci's womb. He attained His desires in the company of His devotees.

Appearing in a fair-complexioned form, He made a great monsoon of spiritual love. In this way He attained His three desires. Why did Lord Krsna, the master of Radha, cry again and again? Only the devotees can know.

In private I will practice the nine kinds of devotional service and in this way I will attain perfection. I will always humbly pray for that. In public I will perform Hari-sankirtana, my heart overcome with love. Any activity that does not lead to My worshipable Lord is an obstacle.

When arrested by the highwaymen of material illusion, bound about the neck with ropes of lust, and about to take his last breath, the devotee of Lord Hari calls out for the Lord's help and is saved. O devotees, call out in this way, glorifying the nectar topics of pure love for Krsna. Then the calamity of repeated birth and death will come to an end.

Hundreds and hundreds of women, children and other relatives will someday die. Take care of yourself. I, who am very fallen, am already killed by sense gratification. I would not worship Lord Hari's feet. Now I have no protection.

I will not describe the specific devotional activities of each devotee. Perform your devotional service carefully. Don't become angry. Don't find fault with others. Offer obeisances to the devotees' feet.

The lotus feet of Sri Nityananda are as cool as millions of moons. The whole universe gets peace by the shade of those lotus feet. Without the mercy of Sri Nityananda, nobody can get Radha and Krishna, the aim of human life. Therefore, catch hold of the two lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Prabhu very tightly.

One who has not established a relationship with Sri Nityananda is a two-legged animal. A great beast! His whole life is finished. He cannot be called a human being. He never utters the name of Sri Nityananda. He is always immersed in enjoying material happiness and has forgotten Sri Nitai. He may have acquired all material scholarship and learning, but what is the value of such education? This will never help.

They are so puffed up with their mundane education and scholarship. They are never humble at all. They have forgotten the lotus feet of Sri Nitai because of their false ego and pride. They are completely under the clutches of Maya. They accept the untruth as truth. If Sri Nityananda showers His mercy upon someone, he will get Sri Sri Radha Krishna in Vrajabhumi. So catch hold of the two lotus feet of Lord Nityananda very tightly.

The lotus feet of Sri Nityananda are eternally true. And those followers or servants of those lotus feet of Sri Nityananda are also eternal. Always aspire for the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura says, "I am very distressed, and an unhappy person. I am drowning in this dreadful ocean of material existence. 0h Sri Nityananda Prabhu, please make me very happy! Please keep me at Your lotus feet."

TRUTH AND BEAUTY

Under caption of LITERARY LAPSES in the editorial column of the Times of India, Bombay dated 12/10/58 it was argued whether truth and beauty are compatible terms with one another. The editorial said, while criticizing Professor Humayun Kabir's speeches in Calcutta on literary lapses, that one would agree willingly, if it came to that, to express the truth, but since truth is not always beautiful-indeed it is frequently rather startling and unpleasant-how is one to express truth and beauty at the same time?

In reply to this we may inform all concerned that Truth and Beauty are compatible terms. It is rather emphatically asserted that truth which is Absolute is always beautiful. The Truth is so beautiful that it attracts everyone including the Truth itself. Truth is so beautiful that many sages, saints and devotees have left everything for the sake of Truth. Mahatma Gandhi the idol of the modern world dedicated his life for experimenting with Truth and all his activities were targeted towards Truth only.

Why Mahatma Gandhi-every one of us is searching after an urge of truth only because it is not only beautiful but also all powerful, all resourceful, all famous, all renouncing and all knowledge.

Unfortunately people have no information of the actual Truth and 99.9 percent men in all ranks of life are following the footprints of Untruth only in the name of Truth and its searching after. We are actually attracted with the beauty of Truth but we are habituated to love untruth from time immemorial in the name of Truth. And therefore to the mundaner Truth and Beauty are incompatible terms. The mundane Truth and beauty is explained as follows:

A person fell in love with a beautiful girl(?). The man was very powerful and strongly built but his character was very doubtful. The girl was not only beautiful in appearance but also saintly in character. As such the beautiful girl did not like the proposal of the powerful man. The powerful man however insisted upon his lustful desires and the beautiful girl requested the man to wait for seven days only and after that she fixed up a time when the man could meet her.

The strongman agreed and with high expectations began to count and wait for the zero hour when he was fixed up to meet the girl.

The saintly girl however in order to manifest the real beauty of relative Truth adopted a means which is very instructive. She took up a very strong dose of purgative medicine and for seven days continually she passed only loose stool and also vomited all that she ate. And all the loose stool and the vomits were stored up in suitable reservoirs. As a result of this laxative medicine the so-called beautiful girl became lean, thin like a skeleton and turned blackish in complexion and the beautiful eye balls were pushed into the sockets of the skull. And at the appointed hour she was waiting anxiously to receive the man in love.

The man appeared on the scene well dressed and well behaved and asked the waiting girl, who was depressed in appearance, about the beautiful girl who called him there. The man could not recognize the waiting girl as the same beautiful girl whom he was asking for. The same girl however was in a pitiable condition and the foolish man in spite of repeated assertion could not recognize her. It was all due to the action of the medicine only.

At last the girl told the powerful man all the story of her beauty and told him that she had separated the ingredients of beauty and stored them up in the reservoirs. She also told him that he could enjoy the juices of beauty stored up in the reservoirs. The mundane poetic or the lunatic man agreed to see the juices of beauty and thus he was directed to the store of loose stool and liquid vomit which were emanating unbearable bad smell and thus the whole story of beauty liquid was disclosed to him. The characterless man by the grace of the saintly girl was able to distinguish between the shadow and the substance and thus he came to his senses.

That is the real position of every one of us who are attracted with the false material beauty. The girl as above mentioned developed a beautiful material body as she desired in her mind but in fact she was apart from such temporary material body and mind. She is in fact a spiritual spark and so also the man in love who was attracted by the false skin of the girl.

Both Professor Humayun Kabir and the editor of the Times of India are however deluded by the outward beauty and attraction of the relative truth and are unaware of the spiritual spark which is both Truth and Beauty at one and the same time. The spiritual spark is so beautiful that on its leaving the so-called beautiful body full of stools and vomit-nobody would like to touch it even though the same is decorated with costly costume.

And because we are all after a false relative truth therefore the same is incompatible with real beauty. The truth is so permanently beautiful that it maintains the same standard of beauty as it is for lacs and crores of years. Besides that such spiritual spark is indestructible. The beauty of the outer skin can be destroyed in a few hours time only by one dose of strong purgative pill but the beauty of Truth is always the same and indestructible as it is always. Unfortunately mundane editors and professors are ignorant of this beautiful sparks of spirit as well as the whole fiery resources of these spiritual sparks and their interrelations of transcendental pastimes. When the same is displayed here by the Grace of the Almighty the foolish persons who cannot see beyond the senses take that pastime of Truth and Beauty in the light of the above store of loose stools and liquid vomit and thus become despaired and declare how Truth and Beauty can be accommodated at one and the same time.

The mundaners do not know that the Whole spiritual Entity is the beautiful Person attracting everything as the Prime Substance and the Prime source and Fountain Head of everything that be. And the infinitesimal spiritual sparks as parts and parcels of the Whole spirit are qualitatively the same beautiful and eternal entities. The difference is that the Whole is eternally the Whole and the parts are eternally the parts. Both of them are the Ultimate Truth, ultimate beauty, ultimate knowledge, ultimate energy, ultimate renunciation and ultimate opulence.

So far literary lapses are concerned any literature which does not describe such Ultimate Truth and Beauty is a store of loose stools and liquid vomit of the relative truth may it be described by any mundane poet or thinker of any country. Real literature is that which describes about these ultimate Truth and beauty.

Back to Godhead, Volume 3, Part 14, November 20, 1958

NO SONG WITHOUT KRISHNA:IN GLORIFICATION OF KAVIRAJ JAYADEVA GOSWAMI -

"Hè! Rādha, clouds are thickening on the sky, black Tamaala trees blacken the woodlands, and night is also drawing nigh... and that one is naively timorous... thereby, you alone lead him home..." this way when Nanda instructed Rādha, both Rādha and Mādhava are on the go homeward, and then the happenstances of their sequestered plays of passion, on each pathway, at every tree, and in each and every arbour on the banks of River Yamuna, are transcendentally exquisite

Saraswati, the presiding Deity of Speech, embellishing my soul with her legends, like a home ever embellished with murals, and I who became an emperor among poets by my service at the feet of Goddess lakSmii, and even by the service rendered by my wife Padmaavati, for she tightly fastened my lyrics to tune and rhythm with her dancing feet, such as I am, I the kingly poet Jayadeva, am now authoring this poetic lore called Gita Govindam, which is so far abiding in my soul, an d it comprises the episodes of plays of passion Rādha and Krishna

Oh, gracious people, should your hearts be plethoric with the elixir of devotion for meditating on Krishna, and should you be curious enough about the arts of coaxing of flirtaceous womenkind, then listen to the praise song of Jayadeva on that glorious god Krishna, which is a medley of willowy words, worded mellowly and mellifluously

Poet Umaapatidhara uses words with prolixity and with expansile meanings; poet Sharana is praiseworthy for his unpronounceable speedy wordplay; none is an antagonist to the scholarly poet Govardhana, for he inferentially prioritises romance; poet Shrutidhara is renowned as an expert wordsmith; poet Dhoyii is a king among poets; but poet Jayadeva alone knows the situational properness of words and wordplay.

When all the waters of all seven seas deluged the earth, oh, keshava, donning the body of a fish you indefatigably upheld all the four Veda s, which by themselves are foreordained to be analogous to ships in transporting souls to the other shore of life, thereby oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of all the worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the form of a tortoise, oh, Keshava, you positioned earth on your tortoiseshell that has already became crustaceous when Mt. manthara rasped it during the churning of Milky Ocean, whereby the earth is unsinkably abiding on your back, even today... thereby, oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the form of a wild boar, Oh, Keshava, you lifted up the sinking earth with your snout, but stuck and lodged on the edge of your otherwise blemishless fangs, she looked more like the blemish embedded on the otherwise blemishless moon, yet you, as an eternal sustainer of earth, allowed her to abide and spin there, whereof oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the form of man lion, oh, Keshava, you with your lotusy palms that have wondrous nails tore the stony bodied demon hiraNyakashyapa, as wondrous as a petaline tine rending hard bodied honeybee, thus those fingernails ever shine forth for their elimination of vice on earth, whereby oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Oh, astounding one, oh, eliminator of demons, oh, sanctifier of people with the water that has emerge from your toenail, namely River Ganga, oh, deluder of antagonists like Emperor Bali when you incarnated as a dwarf boy, whereby oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the mien of Parashu Rama, the saviour of the world, Oh, keshava, you filled five pools called shamanta pancaka with the blood of atrocious Kshatriya kings, and making the world to bathe in it, thus ceased is the worldly torridity of people and swerved are their sins, whereby oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the form of Rama, O, keshava, you are generously offering the ten heads of Ravana as offertories in a ritual called war, which is a much sought after act by the lord and every presiding deity of all ten directions of compass, whereby oh, Hari, as an eliminator of evil ever and anon, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the form of plough wielding bala raama, Oh, Keshava, you are clad in blackish raiment on your whitish body, which robe resembles the black rain giving cloud and rippling black waters of River Yamuna, for she always ripples afraid of a smite from your plough, whereby oh, Hari, as a controller of natural resources, you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee..

Assuming the body of kind hearted Buddha, O, keshava, you find fault with the animal sacrifices in the methods of Vedic rituals taught by scriptures, and even with the collection of those scriptural words themselves, what a revamp in religious methods... aha, aha, aha, whereby oh, Hari, as a modifier of system you are the Almighty of worlds, hail to thee...

Assuming the form of Kalki at the end of Kali yuga, O, keshava, you will be brandishing a comet like sword to eliminate the groups of fractious races, and unimaginable are your horrendous deeds to detail, hence oh, Hari, you are the Almighty of worlds, thus hail to thee...

Oh, Keshava, O, Hari, the Almighty of worlds who assumed ten kinds of forms for the sake of humanity, pray, listen to this auspicious articulation of poet Jayadeva, which has an excellent pith and kernel of worldly living, and will be an aid for blissful and blithesome release from this world, hail to thee...

As a reviver of Veda s as a fish, bearer of this earth as tortoise, uplifter and supporter of earth as wild boar, slasher of Hiranyakashyapa as lion man, deluder of Bali as dwarf boy, annihilator of Kshatriya s as Parashu Rama, conqueror of Ravana, the legatee of Paulastya, as Rama, wielder of plough as bala raama, fosterer of non violence as Buddha, mangler of fractious races as Kalki, you alone can put on ten semblances, thus oh, Krishna, my reverences are unto you..

Hail thee… though yond and yonder, thou art functional from within the solar system, where that sun is just a gem of solar system, while thou art an embellisher of that system in its entirety; as a swan swims in maanasa sarovar, a blissful lake in Himalayas, thou swimmest in the minds of saintly people; thus whittle, whittle the karmic cycles of thy saintly devotees; thus to thee, the felicitous sin remover called Krishna, hail to thee…

Hail thee… for thou art the abominator of venomous multi hooded serpent called Kaaliiya, thus thou hast become the fascinator of people; as the sun makest a lotus abloom, thou art the sun for the bloom of lotus called yadu’s lineage, O, Krishna, hail to thee…

Hail thee… for thou art the prime cause for the manifestation of a residence for the triad of worlds; thou art the releaser of devotees from mundane existence with thine lotus petaline eyes that are unbigoted, O, Krishna, hail to thee…

Hail thee… for Janaka’s daughter Seetha made thee as her pendant ornament, for thou repose on her bust, thus to thee, the mitigator of demon Dushana and the mollifier of octahedral Ravana in a given war, hail to thee…

Hail thee… for thou art handsome like a fresh and vapoury blue black raincloud, yet thou sustained voluminous Mt. mandara when Milky Ocean was churned; yet thou, like a tenuous chakora bird that gazes at the moon to swill moonshine, art gazing at the moonlike face of Goddess lakSmii to swill her sheen, hail to thee…

Oh, Shri Krishna, let this brilliant song on you rendered by poet Jayadeva, be auspicious and rejoicing to you, hail, hail to thee, oh, god…

[The Gita Govinda (Sanskrit गीत गोविन्द) (Song of Govinda) is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis (female cow herders) of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha. This work has been of great importance in the development of the bhakti traditions of Hinduism.

The Gita Govinda is organized into twelve chapters. Each chapter is further sub-divided into twenty four divisions called Prabandhas. The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called Ashtapadis.

The first English translation of the Gita Govinda was published by Sir William Jones in 1792, where Kalinga (ancient Orissa) is referred to as the origin of the text. Since then, the Gita Govinda has been translated to many languages throughout the world, and is considered to be among the finest examples of Sanskrit poetry.(Today is Srila Jayadeva Goswami's Disappearance Day)]Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AMMA ON COMPASSION AND PREMA BHAKTI

Question: Amma, are love and compassion one and the same, or are they different?

Amma: When love becomes divine love, compassion also fills the heart. Love is the inner feeling and compassion is its expression. Compassion is expressing your heartfelt concern for someone — for a suffering human being. Therefore, love and compassion are two sides of the same coin; they coexist.

"True worship of God is rendering help to those who are suffering."

"There are three types of people in this world. There are those who have nothing; then there are those who are just scraping by; and the third type are those who have far more than they need. Now, if those who belong to the third category don't do anything to help those of the first two categories, then Amma would say that those who belong to the third category, who are supposed to be rich, are, in fact, the poorest of the poor. Those who have far more than they need should have eyes with which to see the suffering of others; they should have ears to hear the distressed calls for help; they should have a loving heart with which to feel compassion towards those who suffer, and they should have willing hands with which to lend their assistance to those in need."

"Compassion is Consciousness expressed through your actions and words. Compassion is the art of non-hurting. Compassion cannot hurt. Compassion cannot hurt anyone because compassion is Consciousness manifested. Consciousness cannot hurt anyone. Just as the sky cannot hurt anyone and space cannot hurt anyone, the manifestation of Consciousness, compassion, cannot hurt anyone. One who has compassion can only be compassionate."

"Compassion does not see the faults of others. It does not see the weaknesses of people. It makes no distinction between good and bad people. Compassion cannot draw a line between two countries, two faiths or two religions. Compassion has no ego; thus there is no fear, lust or passion. Compassion simply forgives and forgets. Compassion is like a passage. Everything passes through it. Nothing can stay there. Compassion is love expressed in all its fullness."

"To be able to put oneself in another's position, to be able to see and to feel as another person does, this is the rare gift of an earnest spiritual seeker."

"A spiritual person finds happiness in being loving and compassionate towards everyone, even towards those who are against him. He is like a tree that gives shade even to those who are in the act of cutting it down."

"There is a difference between buying medicines for a wound on one's own hand, and going out to get medicine for someone else's pain. The latter shows that one has a loving heart. This is what a spiritual seeker needs; it is what his spiritual practices are for. Sadhana shouldn't be done for one's own liberation, but for the sake of becoming loving, compassionate and understanding enough to remove the suffering of the world. There's no benefit to be derived from just sitting somewhere with our eyes closed and doing nothing else. We have to become so large-hearted that we experience the suffering of others as our own, and work to alleviate their suffering."

Prema Bhakti"Anyone who has tasted prema bhakti — devotion with supreme love — even for a second, will never waver from it. But such devotion does not arise in everyone. Not everyone who enters a lottery gets first prize. That only goes to one person among millions. True devotion is like that; only one in a million will experience it."

"Fear is completely absent only when love is present in all its fullness. This kind of love is found only in a devotee who has surrendered completely to God. Such a devotee lives in love; he has drowned in the ocean of love. Fully consumed by divine love, his individual existence is lost, for he has merged with the totality of love. He becomes love. He becomes an offering to his Lord. Like a drop of water, which falls into the sea and merges with its vast expanse, the devotee dives into the ocean of bliss as he offers himself to existence. In that state, all fear, all worries, all attachments and sorrows disappear."

Real Love"Real love is the complete absence of any negative feelings towards anyone."

"Real love is experienced when there are no conditions. To have conditions is to force. But where love is present, nothing can be forced. Conditions exist only where there is division. Force is used where there is duality, a sense of 'you and I.' You use force because you perceive the other to be different from you. But force cannot take place when there is only one. The very idea of force disappears in that state. Then you simply are. The universal life force flows through you; you become an open passage. You let the Supreme Consciousness take charge of you. You remove whatever has been obstructing the flow; you remove the self-created bund allowing the river of all-embracing love to run its course."

The Path of Love"The spirit of worldly love is not constant. Its rhythm fluctuates; it comes and goes. The beginning is always beautiful and enthusiastic, but slowly it gets less beautiful and less exciting until it ends up being shallow. In most cases, it ends up finally in upset, hatred and deep sorrow. Spiritual love is different. The beginning is beautiful and peaceful. Shortly after this peaceful beginning comes the agony of longing. Through the middle period, the agony will continue to grow stronger and stronger, more and more unbearable. Excruciating pain will ensue, and this pain of love will prevail until just before it leads up to unity with the beloved. This unity is beautiful, even more inexpressibly beautiful than the beginning of love. The beauty and peace of this unity in love remains forever and ever. Love of this kind never dries up or diminishes. Always alive, both within and without, it is constant, and each moment you live in love. Love will swallow you; eat you up completely until there is no 'you,' only love. Your whole being will be transformed into love. Spiritual love culminates in unity, in oneness. Sometimes a relationship between two people, if it is pure, can reach that union."

The Lover and the BelovedIn the ultimate state of oneness, even if the lover and beloved retain their bodies, that is, even if they exist as two bodies, deep in the depths of their love they are one whole. It is like two banks of the river. The banks are different; they are two as we as we see from the outside, but deep down they are one, one united in the depths. The same is the case with genuine lovers. Though they appear as two persons externally, deep within they are one, united in love."

"In the final stage of love, the lover and the beloved become one. Even beyond this, there comes a state where there is no love, lover or beloved. That state is beyond expression. That is where the Master finally takes you."

Love and Detachment"Desire for anything will not rise up once love of God arises. Attachment to other things will automatically decrease. If intense love for God comes, then that love is like one who is suffering from fever. A feverish person will not feel any appetite at all. He will not feel anything if he sees food, however delicious it may be."

"Without feeling love for God within, we cannot fasten our minds on Him. Once someone has that love, his mind will not stray again towards worldly things. To him, worldly pleasures are like dog excreta. Little babies will pick up mud and dirt and put it in their mouths. Will they be tempted to do so, even a little bit, once they grow up and develop some discrimination?"

"In pure love there is no burden. Nothing can be a burden to pure desireless love. Real love can carry the entire universe without feeling any weight. Compassion can shoulder the suffering of the entire world without feeling the slightest bit of pain."

"Only a person who is completely detached can love others without any expectations. Attachment is not an aspect of real love. In real love not only the bodies but also the souls will be united. There will always be the knowledge of the changing or perishable nature of the body and the eternal nature of the Self. Attachment binds and destroys the person who is attached and the person to whom he is attached. Due to this attachment, discrimination fails and discipline will be absent."

Love for the Guru vs. Worldly Love"Is the love we get from our relatives, wife, husband or children real? Is it not for fulfilling their selfish ends that men love women, and women love men? What will happen if she or he runs away with another man or woman? Then the attitude becomes just the opposite. You will be ready even to kill her or him. Is this love?"

"No one loves anyone more than they love themselves. Behind everyone's love is a selfish search for their own happiness. When we don't get the happiness we expect from a friend, our friend becomes our enemy. This is what can be seen in the world. Only God loves us selflessly. And it is only through loving Him that we can love and serve others selflessly."

"All quests for worldly love end in tears. That is the story of our lives at present. Real love cannot be found anywhere; there is only artificial love. It is like the lights used by a fisherman. He casts the net, turns on the bright lights, and waits. The fish come, attracted by the lights. Soon the net is full, and the fisherman fills his basket. Everyone loves another from a selfish point of view."

Love cannot Contain Two"Love cannot contain two. It can contain only one. Love is purnam; it is fullness. In Love's constant and devoted remembrance, 'you' and 'I' dissolve and disappear. Love alone remains. The entire universe is contained in that pure, undivided love. Love is endless; nothing can be excluded from it. Love is all-pervasive."

If You Love Amma..."If you children love Mother, you should love and serve all living beings. Then only can it be said that you children love Mother."

Amma is with You"Where there is love there is no distance or separation. It is your love for Amma that keeps you close to Her. Whether or not you love Her, whether or not you're able to feel Her love, Amma loves you and She is with you. But you will feel Her closeness or presence only when you love Her."

"Love and freedom are not two; they are one. They are interdependent. Without love there can be no freedom; and without freedom there can be no love. Eternal freedom can happen only when all your negativity has been uprooted. Only in the state of love will the beautiful, fragrant flower of freedom and supreme bliss unfold its petals and bloom."

"Love is of two kinds. Love towards the world and worldly objects is love of a lower nature. Love towards God is devotion, love of the highest kind; that is pure love. Everyone has love within him but it fully manifests only when it is directed towards God."

"People are bound by the past and the future; that is why it is so difficult to find true love in the world."

"A true relationship, or true love, is based on the amount of identification one has with someone. However, it isn't something that can be measured, for it is a deep feeling, something that happens within. As the identification intensifies, that sense of oneness becomes manifest externally as well. Your heart overflows with love and expresses itself through your words and actions. At its peak, even your bodies will bear a close resemblance. This rarely happens in worldly relationships. In a spiritual relationship, however, it happens in a clear, profound way. It happens, for example, to a disciple who has completely surrendered to his spiritual Master, and whose heart is filled with love and devotion towards his Master."

"Children, listen to the desperate calls for help! No one's pain is insignificant. In order to really hear their sorrow-stricken words you need to have a compassionate heart, a heart that enables you to see and to feel the suffering of others as if it were your own. Try to come down to their level and feel the vibrations of their aching hearts. If you cannot do this, then all the spiritual practices you do are a useless waste."

"Children, our duty towards God is compassion and love towards the poor and needy. When somebody is suffering we should sympathise and take pity on him. That alone is not enough; we should be ready to help him because God is everywhere, in everything. When we develop compassion and love for ailing people, His grace will spontaneously flow into us."

"Children, whenever you go through a difficult time in life, think to yourselves: 'I don't expect any love from others, because I am not someone who needs to be loved by others. I am love itself. I am an inexhaustible source of love, who will always give love, and nothing but love, to everyone who comes to me."

"Children, you should love all. Only then will God love you. The state of equanimity is the real God."

"If we pour water at the root of a tree, it will reach all the branches. But if we pour water on the branches, the tree does not get the benefit, and our effort is wasted. If we love God, it is equal to loving everyone. It benefits everyone, because the same God dwells within everyone. Through loving Him, we love all. Forming bonds only with individuals, however, just leads to sorrow."

"Life in the world cannot be an obstacle once God is enshrined in your heart. So bind Him with the rope of love."

"No one but God loves you selflessly. Hold on tightly to Him. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't love others. See God in everyone and love that God. Then you won't succumb to grief if anyone's love disappears."

"We must be able to love without expecting anything from anyone."

"A person who really loves God is like someone suffering from a fever. He won't have any taste for food. He won't savour salty or sour dishes; even sweet dishes will taste bitter to him. He won't be very interested in food at all. But it is very unusual for a seeker to feel this kind of love in the beginning. Therefore, in the beginning one should try to control one's various habits with shraddha. Especially in the matter of food. If the mind wanders off to external things, one should bring it back, again and again, to the thought of God. Not a single moment should be wasted."

"At present, love is like a spark within us. Constantly blow on it, using the fan of the divine name, japa and meditation. You may perspire, sneeze and cough, but do not stop. Your body may become hot; tears may fill your eyes; you may want to faint. But do not stop. If you perspire, you sneeze and cough, persist in your efforts, and be assured then that you are heading towards the goal. Soon you will become love itself. This is the reward of your love."

"God has given us the necessary faculties to become like Him. Love, beauty and all divine qualities exist within us. We should make use of our faculties to express these divine qualities in our lives. Don't be lazy. Don't idle away your time. Life is a precious gift. This human body is a rare gift. Work with love while you are still healthy. Do not be a burden to others. God may not have provided you with money, but if you are endowed with a healthy body, work and do it with all your heart."

"If you choose love and selflessness as your goal, you need to be watchful. Watch your mind constantly, because the mind won't let you do anything selflessly. The mind doesn't want you to be selfless— -its one and only aim is to drive you along the path of selfishness, because the mind is selfish. As long as you dwell in the mind you can only be selfish. You have to be free of the mind to be selfless."

Question: What should be done to develop love?Amma: When the divine name is chanted constantly, spiritual hunger will come. Consequently, a taste for the name will arise followed by love for God. We are saved if love is obtained.

"The ability to grow in love and compassion has almost been forgotten. By not making use of this rare gift, you are rejecting God, going against God and denying His gift. This is the worst thing that can happen to you."

O Hari-nama! The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet are constantly being worshiped by the glowing radiance emanating from the string of gems known as the Upanisads, the crown jewels of all the Vedas. You are eternally adored by liberated souls, such as Narada and Sukadeva. O Hari-nama! I take complete shelter of You.

O Hari-nama, O name sung by the sages, O transcendental syllables that bring bliss to the people, even if You are spoken only once, and even if You are spoken disrespectfully, You at once remove the many harsh sufferings of everyone.

O sun of the Holy Name, even the dim light of Your early dawn 'namabhasa' devours the power of the darkness of the material world and gives those who are blind to the truth the insight to follow the path of pure devotion to Krishna. What learned person in this world can possibly fully describe Your transcendental glories?

O Holy Name, I pray that my love for You in Your many forms such as Aghadamana (Crusher of Aghasura), Yasodanandana (Son of Yasoda), Nandasunu (Son of Nanda), Kamalanayana (Lotus-eyed), Gopicandra (Moon of the gopis), Vrndavanendra (King of Vrndavana), Pranatakaruna (Merciful to the surrendered souls), and Krishna may greatly increase.

O Holy Name, You are manifested in two forms: the Supreme Person described by the Holy Name, and the sound vibration of the Holy Name. We know that the second form is even more merciful than the first, because although a person may commit many offenses to Your first form, he will still plunge into an ocean of bliss by serving Your second with His voice.

O perfect and complete Holy Name of Lord Krishna, You are the embodiment of delightful and intense spiritual bliss, You destroy the many sufferings of those who take shelter of You, and You are a festival of happiness for Gokula. I bow before You again and again.

O Krishna-nama! O inspiration of Narada's vina! You are full of sweetness, which is like an ocean full of waves of nectar. If You wish, please appear constantly on my tongue, along with transcendental affection for the Lord.

All glories to Syama-kunda, Radha-kunda, Govardhana Hill, and the Yamuna River (Kalindi). All glories to the great forest known as Mahavana, where Krsna and Balarama displayed all of Their childhood pastimes.

All glories to Kesi-ghata, where Krsna killed the Kesi demon. All glories to the Vamsi-vata tree, where Krsna attracted all the gopis to come by playing His flute. Glories to all of the twelve forests of Vraja. At these places the son of Nanda, Sri Krsna, performed all of His pastimes.

All glories to Krsna's divine father and mother Nanda and Yasoda. All glories to the cowherd boys, headed by Sridama, the older brother of Srimati Radharani and Ananga Manjari. All glories to the cows and calves of Vraja.

All glories to Radha's divine father and mother, Vrsabhanu and the beautiful Kirtida. All glories to Paurnamasi, the mother of Sandipani Muni, grandmother of Madhumangala and Nandimukhi, and beloved disciple of Devarsi Narada. All glories lo the young cowherd maidens of Vraja.

All glories to the place where the rasa dance of Sri Krsna was performed. All glories to Radha and Syama. All glories, all glories to the divine rasa dance, which is the most beautiful of all Lord Krsna's pastimes.

jaya jayojjwala-rasa sarva-rasa-sarparakiya-bhave jaha brajete pracar

All glories, all glories to the mellow of conjugal love, which is the most excellent of all rasas and is propagated in Vraja by Sri Krsna in the form of the divine parakiya-bhava